Scammers don't steal your money, they create a world where it makes perfect sense to hand your cash over to them. Three-card-monte, the longest running show on Broadway, seems easy. You're watching the tosser and you always see the queen. What you don't see is a group of shills working you into the gate where you'll lose everything you have. Sometimes a large sum of money is accidentally sent to you and the sender asks for the additional cash to be sent back. In the meantime, they empty your ...
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Host Bob Ruff invites other true crime content creators on the show each week to share their origin stories, break down cases they’ve covered, and give you a little taste of their podcasts. Listeners get to listen in on fun conversations, learn about new cases, and find their next true crime binge!
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In Arkansas, scammers are tricking pastors into urging parishioners to buy gift cards. Another city loses more than a million to scammers and city leaders believe it was a good thing. And in Las Vegas, skimmers are being used to copy credit card information before running up huge bills. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…
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Season 7 begins Sept. 2 and there's a lot to talk about. Scams & Cons News moves to Monday and a new edition will come out each week. Regular episodes will continue on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. We've got stories about child birth scams, easy money scams and interviews with magicians who compare their skills of misdirection agai…
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Scammer robs family of $15k vacation. Smart TVs may be tricking you into giving up personal information
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In this week's news, we'll tell you about a woman who lost a half million dollars in a Social Security scam, con artists who offer up free pianos, then trick the customer into paying high shipping fees. You'll also hear how your smart TV could be robbing you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…
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A man disguises himself as a woman to scam the groom out of his estate
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In this week's news, a man disguises himself as a woman to scam the groom out of his estate and pet owners are being told their companions are in danger in order to con people out of medical expenses. Hear these stories and much more on this week's Scams & Cons News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…
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Woman told she is on "secret probation" and loses hundreds of thousands of dollars
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Woman told she is on "secret probation" loses hundreds of thousands of dollars, 60 Minutes Australia asks if Belle Gibson is a liar and Canadian police bust an international scam ring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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What's the difference between a hoax and a scam? Are they the same thing? In this episode, we take a crack at the answer -- unless this whole program is a hoax. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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Woman falling down escalator marks return of pigeon scam
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A woman falling down escalator marks return of pigeon scam, members of British Parliament get caught in a honey trap and a Pennsylvania man loses $165,000 to romance scammer. Hear these stories and much more at ScamsAndCons.com or wherever you get podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…
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An Uber driver was killed while delivering a package for a scammer and a Canadian scammer is in jail for a $175 million e-mail fraud in the U.S.
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An Uber driver was killed while delivering a package for a scammer and a Canadian scammer in jail for a $175 million e-mail fraud in the U.S. while a man cons people into letting him use their phones, then drains their bank account. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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Woman scammed by promise of free home make-over
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A woman scammed by promise of free home make-over, a scammer tries to hoodwink Drew Barrymore's guests and an Alabama woman has admitted to faking her own disappearance after earlier claiming she had been kidnapped. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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When you write a check, you expect it to be secure, after all, you did write it in ink. That means bupkus unless you used a secure check and security pen. These days, scammers can use household chemicals to eliminate what you have written and fill in the blanks with whatever they want to whomever they want. They will even trace your signature so th…
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A scam leaves a man in a coma and a woman's home is stolen
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An East Tennessee woman stops a scam by people posing as a representatives of Publishers Clearing House and a Wisconsin woman must pay taxes on $200,000 she lost to a scammer. A federal law once protected such victims from taxes. The law was cut. We also tell the story of a Toronto man who encountered a scammer that left him physically broken and u…
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Why steal your identity when all scammers need is a synthetic you?
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Identity theft was once fairly easy. Watch someone's mailbox for a credit card offer, then send it in with a new address; discover something like your Social Security number, then route that money to their bank account. There were lots of ways. But now there's a new one -- a fabricated synthetic identity. It's you without really being you. It can t…
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A boy amputates his legs to get insurance month and "ghost hacking" sends messages to the deceased family
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In separate incidents, a man and a woman are arrested for romance scams. A boy in Taiwan agrees to have both legs amputated to gain insurance money and a woman who wanted a puppy pays the money, only to be told it's a scam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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By Jim Grinstead
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News: A Nebraska woman is conned out of a gold bar a woman buys the wrong kind of gift card, frustrating a scammer, but still losing her money
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News: A Nebraska woman is conned out of a gold bar and a woman buys the wrong kind of gift card, frustrating a scammer, but still losing her money Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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Witness Protection Programs -- it's not an easy way to vanish
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t would seem if federal and state governments wanted you to disappear for your safety, it would be an easy thing to do. They can create all the documents you need, give you some money to get started and grease the wheels needed to get a new job. If only that were the case. Being uprooted is just as difficult -- if not more so -- than taking a powde…
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Woman recovers $147k from scammer and a man tries to own the New York Hotel
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Woman recovers $147k from scammer and a man tries to own the New York Hotel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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Hear from Maureen, a woman whose husband disappeared and she doesn't know why
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The theme of this series has been the long con of vanishing. Instead of a scammer targeting you, you are the one scamming everyone else. To be successful, you must do this the rest of your life, making it possibly the longest con of all. Maureen is the victim of this con. Her husband went missing and while she verified he was still alive, she doesn…
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Scammers break into a physician's prescription system, creating orders for tens of thousands of addictive drugs and a lawsuit has been filed against CitiGroup for not doing enough to protect customers
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Scams & Cons News for March 21, 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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Vanishing: Where to go and dealing with loneliness
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Once you've decided to vanish, the question is: where do you go? In this episode we explore those possibilities and what you need to keep in mind when choosing a place. The odds are you'll end up somewhere that's not familiar and among people you don't know. That loneliness is one of the main reasons that a vanishing con fails. We'll tell you how p…
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Woman uses soap opera scheme in attempt to kill husband; catfishing scam hits business for $4 million
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Scams & Cons News for March 7, 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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Vanished: How to go missing and avoid those searching for you.
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The longest con of all may be vanishing -- leaving the place you know, going somewhere unfamiliar and never having contact with anyone or anything from your past life. In this episode, we tell you how to go missing and avoid those who will be looking for you. Private Investigative Services Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi…
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Scams & Cons News: Scammers use a smartphone with Bluetooth to steal 800 gallons of gasoline and the DEA accidently gives $500,000 to scammers
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Scams & Cons News for February 15, 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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The longest con of all -- vanishing. Why would anyone want to do it?
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A good scam creates a reality where the mark thinks it makes perfect sense to go along with the con. A great con is when everyone else is fooled and you are the only one to know the truth. The next few episodes are about the longest con of all -- vanishing. These are people who voluntarily disappear. It does not include those who are running for th…
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Regular listeners are accustomed to hearing about different variations of a con in each regular episode. In season six, we're doing something different. We'll be focusing on one con -- vanishing. Vanishing may be the longest con of all because, if you're successful, no one will hear from you again. We'll talk about why people want to voluntarily di…
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Scams & Cons News: A dating app leads to a carjacking and are you being smished?
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Are you being smed? It's a scam that involves both texts and social engineering. A dating app leads to a carjacking in Florida and a Swiss bus museum. A cashier stole more than $1 million between 2008 and 2019 by reselling museum tickets twice. These stories and MUCH more on Scams & Cons News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad…
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BONUS: Lee Goldberg tells how he writes scams into his books and TV shows
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Any con, any story of a con, begins in the head of the author. Lee Goldberg isn't a con artist -- unless you count how he leads readers toward wrong conclusions -- but he does write successful books and TV shows that involve cons. In this episode, Lee talks with us about how he does it, how he comes up with his ideas and what it's to deal with publ…
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What time is it? 4:23? Thanks. You could have gotten the answer from your phone, a sign in front of a bank or dozens of other sources. So, why spend $150,000 for a Rolex to give you the same information. Luxuries are perceptions and scammers use those perceptions to make you think you're getting a very good deal on something that can perform the sa…
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It’s a simple game. It’s just a guy flipping three cards on top of a worn cardboard box. If you’re the sucker, the game is easy. It’s meant to be that way. A lot of effort by a lot of people has gone into creating that scene. No wonder Three Card Monte is called the longest running show on Broadway. The sucker sees it as a game of skill. They belie…
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If you are a six and a 10 shows interest in you, at the very least you’d feel flattered. You might even spend a little time with them just to feed your ego. And if that contact happens online, it seems even better. No dinners to buy. No gifts to exchange. And you can walk away at any time. But if the person on the other end of the line is a scammer…
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We're taking a break for the holidays, but we'll be back early next year. In the meantime, please enjoy some replays that have been a hit among our fans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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Miracle cures have arrived! Whatever the ailment, they will do the job
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Think of all the music jingles you've heard over the years, promising that this pill or that one will help prevent cancer, ease your aching bones or guarantee you a longer, healthier life. It's snake oil and in this episode we tell you the difference between Western medicine, alternative medicine and outright frauds. Pay close attention, because so…
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Scams & Cons News: Funeral home scammer takes money from widow, bank disses woman who was scammed, asking if her husband did it, and more!
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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Robo calls -- How they work, who makes them and how you can cash in by listening
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We've done stories about robo calls before, but this one is different -- we're telling you how the technology works, who makes the calls and how you can make money by simply listening to the sales pitch, getting answers to a few questions and mail a complaint. robocalls@scamsandcons.com Kit for challenging robo calls Sample challenge letter Learn m…
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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You can be the victim of a con. Here's how.
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Our lasts episode asks how con artists reconcile the impact of their actions and how it harms their victims beyond the money they have stolen. This time we ask what is it about people that make them suckers for scammers. Certain behaviors signal scammers that we're good for some cash. Listen in and find out what they know about you and how they use…
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Scammers are pulling gasoline dispensers from customers' hands to fill their own cars. Canadian women are more willing to report scams than men. And ProPublica says a scammer has succeed in getting people kicked off Instagram, then blackmailing them to release the account. He claims to have made $300k off the con. Learn more about your ad choices. …
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Justification: Scammers explain why they do what they do
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Scammers might take people for a little or a lot of money. Sometimes their scams ruin people's lives and leave them feeling unsafe -- maybe for the rest of their lives. In this episode, scammers tell us how they became scammers and how they rationalize what they do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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Imposters: Which is real: Batman or Bruce Wayne?
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Scammers become other people to convince you to turn over your money, but sometimes they want something else. Your pity, your admiration or your love. We take a look at imposters and why they do what they do. And check out the Pretend podcast. It's one of our favorites and when you hear Javier's story about a reported stalker, you'll be amazed! Lea…
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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People are coming back from the future. Some want computers to help solve problems for which the need ancient software, while others need some cold, hard cash to survive in this primitive world of ours. People are handing money over to these con artists without asking a simple question: Why are future IT people too stupid to keep their technology u…
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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Con artists are using wanting to get into your pants for a wallet, but there are those who are looking for something else. In this episode, we tell you how pick-up artists, wings and matchmakers work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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This is no misdirection, Season 5 begins Sept. 7. To get things going, here's a full episode on Misdirection
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Season 5 launches September 7 and here's a full episode on how con artists use misdirection to sucker people in. We believe Season 5 is our best yet with stories about pick-up artists, time travel scammers, how con artists justify what they do, fake medical cures and much, much more. Plus we're going weekly with our new feature called Scams & Cons …
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Scams & Cons News begins officially this September, but we thought we'd give you and update on some of the things happening this summer. See you in September! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Jim Grinstead
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I'm headed off on summer hiatus and to produce shows for Season Five. I'm really excited about Season Five because we're producing shows on Pick-Up Artists, Time Travelers and Imposters -- plus a lot more. It will be fun! We'll also be adding a new feature called Scams & Cons News about recent scams from around the world. This episode provides a pr…
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Every now and then we come across stories that are so unique or rare that they don't merit their own episode, but that doesn't mean they should be forgotten. In this final episode of Season 4, we bring you stories of jetpacks, sucker lists and counterfeit whiskey. They have nothing in common except that they're interesting and they fool thousands. …
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Unfortunately, the world has endless examples of people in need. The ones that real deserve our consideration, but the ones that are false ... those are the ones that deprive others of help they may desperately need. Whether it's a person seeking help for a relative who has cancer, a homeless man who gave up his lasts $20 to help a stranger or thos…
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